Wonderland
by DarkMoonChild14
Summary: Lucy was never really an ordinary princess who waits for her prince to arrive. All it took was a pink haired dragon slayer and his flying cat to convince her to leave. Now she travels all over Fiore to escape her old life and her father. With Natsu and Happy by her side, she overcomes obstacles and gains friendships she didn't think possible. NaLu
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Fiore, the Heartfilia family ruled the kingdom with kindness and understanding as the kings and queens did in the past. A joyous blanket covered itself onto Fiore.

Queen Layla Heartfilia sat by her windowsill looking over the land where she and her husband ruled. Their kingdom prospered and their people lived a joyous life. Layla could see many of the children running around the grounds, men working hard for their family, and women talking to themselves with their babies in hand. A smile formed onto the queen's lovely face as she walked to the crib where her daughter laid sound asleep.

Her daughter's eyes started to flutter and revealed big hazel eyes. When the daughter laid her eyes on her mother, she started to giggle and reach up to her mother. Layla giggled and reached into the crib.

"Good morning, my little princess," Layla cooed. "How is my Lucky Lucy today?" Lucy gurgled back an answer and squealed to her mother. Layla laughed at her daughter's silliness. "I hope you know what today is."

Layla started to dress Lucy into a pink puffy gown and finishing with her tiny silver crown. Lucy started to wiggle which resulted in the silver crown being lopsided. Layla laughed before fixing the crown. Layla carried Lucy and took her out to the dinning room.

Pink flowers decorated the halls as the mother and daughter walked closer to the throne room. Lively music and the sound of laughter could be heard throughout the halls. "Let us hurry," Layla said. Lucy only giggled in agreement.

After they announced Layla and Lucy's arrival, Layla made her way towards her husband who was sitting on his throne. Layla smiled and thanked the guest who greeted her and Lucy.

King Jude Heartfilia got up from his throne and made his way to his queen and princess. He opened his arms and took his family in a huge. Jude gave Layla a kiss on her forehead and rubbed Lucy's cheek.

"She just woke up," Layla informed.

"That is good. Our special friends have yet to arrive," Jude said as he directed his wife to her throne that was slightly smaller than his own.

The announcer cleared his throat and all attention was directed upon him. "May I announce, the Fairies of Fiore." A fairy garbed in a light pink floor length gown flew through the opened doors and gracefully landed in front of the crowd. "Rose." Another fairy dressed in blue halter-top knee length dress flew in and landed beside the first fairy. "Crystal." The last fairy wore a green strapless floor length dress landed beside the second fairy. "Jade."

The crowd simultaneously bowed down as the fairies made their way toward the king and queen. King Jude and Queen Layla welcomed the fairies with a bow. "I welcome to my daughter's birthday party, fairies," Jude greeted.

"Thank you for inviting us," Rose said. She noticed the bundle Layla was carrying. Her face softened and smiled at the bundle. "Is this the new princess?"

"Yes, it is," Layla answered. She walked up to the fairies and presented Lucy to them. The fairies crowded Layla to take a look at the new princess. The fairies took a glimpse at the baby and they were hooked.

Jade laughed. "Well, it looks like she does not need the gift of beauty with those looks," she joked. The other fairies nodded and in agreement and Layla thanked her.

"Why don't we give her the gifts now?" Crystal suggested.

"Let's do it," Jade nodded.

"I guess I will go first," Rose said. Crystal and Jade took a step back as Jude joined his wife and daughter with Rose in front of them. Rose cleared her throat and looked at both parents. "Now, I do not want both of you to complain about the gifts we are about to give your daughter. These gifts are final and cannot be returned. These gifts will benefit your daughter in the future. I assure you." Rose waited for Layla and Jude to agree towards the terms that Rose presented. Jude nodded and Rose started the gift giving.

Rose placed her hands above Lucy and the pink glow started to appear. "I, Rose, present you with the gift of Celestial Magic. May these friends guard and protect you as it did to your mother." Twelve golden keys started to circle around Lucy; three of the twelve keys came from Layla's key ring. As the spell finished, three rings went back to Layla, but the other nine disappeared. Rose smiled down at Lucy's shining brown eyes that held curiosity for knowledge. "I can already see you becoming a powerful mage with those eyes full of knowledge." Rose grinned and made her way to Crystal as Jade walked up to the couple.

"My turn," Jade said. She started to stretch her arm muscles before placing her hand above Lucy just like Rose. A green glow appeared this time. "I, Jade, present you with the gift of bravery. May this gift provide you strength and courage to the difficulties you face in life." A green orb surrounded Lucy and suddenly disappeared into a magical dust. Lucy giggled at the sparkly dust. Jade laughed with the princess and placed a hand on her cheek. "Have fun in life and keep your friends close, 'kay, kid?" Jade smirked at the princess and stood beside Rose.

"Last gift." Crystal smiled. As she made her way to the princess, a loud boom was heard. Everybody turned to look and saw the worse.

Standing at the top steps was the worst fairy. She was dressed in a long sleeved purple floor length dress. "Hey people! Guess who decided to crash the party?" Her wicked laugh resounded throughout the room.

"Eris! What are you doing here?" Rose shouted.

Eris looked at Rose. "Why, hello there Rosie. I didn't know you were also invited," Eris sneered.

"You were not invited, Eris." King Jude's voice boomed through the room as he protectively hides his wife and child behind his back.

Eris placed her gaze onto Jude. "Greetings, my king. I'm sorry if I'm late. But I hope the party hasn't ended yet." Eris moved her way closer to the family with an evil glint in her eyes.

"I said, you were not invited," Jude growled.

Eris faked a surprised look. She gasped. "I wasn't. Oh my. That just won't do. Eris always gets invited to a party. No questions asked. Now, where your little brat?"

Jude unsheathed his sword, ready to guard his family. "You will not take a step further."

"Eris, stop this at once," Jade shouted. Jade stepped in front of Eris, blocking her path towards the royal family.

"And what are you doing, Jade? You think you can stop me?"

"I will if I have to," Jade said firmly.

Eris laughed haughtily. "As if." Eris suddenly conjured up a purple glow and pushed the fairies away, effectively trapping them onto the wall. "Now let's see that baby."

Layla suddenly felt pain throughout her whole body. She screamed but refused to let go of Lucy. Then her body went rigid. She took one step, then another, and another until she was in front of Eris.

"Layla, what are you doing?" Jude shouted. He couldn't attack Eris with his wife and child in front of her. This would only cause harm to Layla and Lucy. He noticed his guards getting ready to attack, but he held up his hand as a silent order to stand down.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist, Jude," Eris said. "I just want to take a look at the baby." Layla fought with her body but she wasn't strong enough to stop herself or move away from Eris. Layla could feel tears forming in her eyes as she feared for her daughter's safety.

Eris placed her hands on top of Lucy and a purple glow appeared. "Here's my gift. I, Eris, present you with the gift of death. On your eighteenth birthday, you will be punished for your parent's faults. You will prick yourself fall into death's hands." Eris's laugh boomed through the room until she disappeared in a purple smoke.

When Layla was released from the spell, her body became weak and fell on her knees. Jude immediately ran to her side and found his wife clutching her child to her chest and crying her eyes out. She looked up to her husband and pleaded, "Please, help her. I don't want her to die."

"Um, beg your pardon, your majesty," a soft voice said. Layla looked up with tearful eyes. Crystal stood in front of them with a soft smile. "May I remind you that I have yet to give her a gift?"

"That means?" Layla gasped.

"Yes, I can change Eris's curse but not all of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Gifts from fairies are absolute, so it cannot be fully changed. But I have enough power to rearrange the curse. Eris's magic is very powerful so I'll only be able to change a little."

"Please, please do. I don't want my daughter to suffer with this curse."

Crystal nodded and placed her hand above Lucy. The blue glow appeared and enveloped itself around Lucy. "I, Crystal, present you with a solution to the curse you were given. Instead of death, you will be put into sleep. You will awaken when a kiss is given by a powerful mage with bravery, determination, and the will of fire." The glow disappeared and Crystal gave a low sigh. She gave the princess a pitiful look. "May you live a joyous life and become a lovely woman."

"It is time for us to leave," Rose said. She came up behind Crystal with Jade behind. She looked at the sorrowful parents. "Rest assured that your daughter will be protected at all time. She will experience difficulties in life that only she can conquer. We wish you luck, King Jude and Queen Layla. And we give Princess Lucy our blessing and the guidance of the fairies."

With that the fairies turned into pink, blue, and green orbs and started flying out of the windows. Layla looked up and silently thanked the fairies. She sniffled and forced a smile upon her face. "You know what I noticed, Jude." Layla laughed at her husband. "Lucy didn't cry once. She's such a brave girl." Layla grinned and leaned into her husband's arms, exhausted from the day's event.

* * *

A few years passed and Lucy grew into a beautiful little girl. She was the spitting image of her mother and also held a curious heart. She was kind, caring, clever to the core, intelligent for a six year old, and brave. The princess always held a smiling face wherever she went which brightened the spirits of many people. Even with the curse Lucy lived with, her mother made sure that Lucy could live her life to the fullest without worries. In result, it was made a law that no one should know about Lucy's curse except for her parents, the fairies, and Lucy's future spirits.

Princess Lucy ran through the palace courtyard. She was chasing after a blue bird while her nannies stood watch and the guards kept a fierce gaze around the courtyard.

Lucy pulled up the blue dress she wore which was stopping her from running with all her heart. She kept fumbling and tripping with the dress tangling around her legs. Lucy huffed and looked down at her dress. She wished she could just rip the dress up to her knees or at least make it a skirt. That should be enough to let her run around freely. But she could not. Her father would scold her for ruining her dresses. Her mother would not be able to say anything because she was bedridden with what her nannies explained a fever, but Lucy knew it was more than that but did not ask for more information.

Lucy decided to give up on running around in her current state and just relax in the courtyard. Lucy walked around until she found a patch of flowers surrounding a tree that provided shelter from the blazing sun. Lucy leaned against the tree as her nannies moved closer to her location.

Lucy walks up to her nannies. Their names were Rachel, Jasmine, and Cathy. Rachel always wore pink while Jasmine always wore green and Cathy would wear blue. "Will you help me make a flower crown for mommy?" she asks. Lucy could clearly see the pity that flew through their eyes, but it soon disappeared with a smile.

"Of course, your highness," Rachel said. Lucy grabbed Rachel and Jasmine's hand while Cathy happily followed and led them to the tree shade.

Lucy sat around the flowers and started to gather different flowers while her nanny sat waiting for a command. Lucy picked an array of flowers that were painted into different colors. When Lucy was satisfied with the flowers, she asks Jasmine to teach her how to make a flower crown.

"Well, first, we'll would need some string," Jade explained. Cathy gave Jade a piece of string. Jade thanked her and showed the princess a piece of string long enough for a crown. "After you have your string, poke the string through the flower without breaking the flower apart and pull. The string will hold the beautiful flowers together and keep them together like a strong bond."

Lucy listened intently at her nanny's explanation and watched her demonstration. "Do the flowers have to be in a certain order?" she asks.

Cathy giggled and gathered more flowers. "The fun part about making flower crowns is that there is no specific order or sequence. It's totally random and that's what makes it beautiful. It doesn't matter what sequence the flowers are as long as you have fun while making it."

Rachel agreed with Jasmine and Cathy. "Remember Lucy, it's not about which flowers you think would go with what other flower. It's about mixing different flowers and making a wide diversity. These flower compliment each other, which is why they don't need a sequence. They all work together to became a beautiful crown for you."

Lucy nodded and understood the explanation completely. Lucy was determined to create a beautiful crown for her mother. Jasmine gave her the already started crown and continued from there. Lucy didn't stop until she reached the end of the string. She gladly gave it to her nanny and waited for her to tie the strings together. When Cathy was finished tying it, Lucy jumped up and started running into the palace.

Rachel stood up and called her. "Princess Lucy, where are you going?"

Lucy stopped and turned around. "I'm going to Mama to give her new crown." Lucy bowed down. "Thank you for helping me!" Lucy started running towards her mother's chambers.

Lucy raced through the palace hallways and up a staircase. She greeted the maids and butlers that she passed by. She also made sure to keep the crown safe until she got to her mother's chambers. She turned left and right. Lucy was lucky enough to remember where each room was with all of these winding hallways. Five years of exploring did her good.

Lucy finally reached white double doors. She huffed and caught her breath for a while before she composed herself. Lucy fixed her flower crown's appearance and walked up to the doors. Lucy lightly knocked before entering her parent's chambers.

When Lucy walked in, she saw her mother's outline on the king size bed. A glass of water sat on the side table. Her mother was covered in layers of blankets, but Lucy saw that it wasn't even helping because her mother kept coughing.

Lucy lightly walked up to her mother. Queen Layla noticed her daughter walking up and propped herself up into a sitting position. It was tiring, but Layla made sure to hide it from her daughter. She flashed a smile at her daughter. "Hello Lucy. What brings you here?"

Lucy climbed onto her mother's bed and presented her with the flower crown. "I made a crown for you mommy since you're the queen. I made it pretty so that you can wear it all the time," Lucy said. Lucy grinned widely because she was proud of her hard work.

"Thank you, my lucky Lucy." Layla received the crown and placed it on her head. The crown fit perfectly. Layla rubbed her daughter's blonde head and smiled lovingly at her. "I'm so proud of you darling. I promise to wear it everyday. I love you."

"I love you too Mama!" Lucy said.

"Princess Lucy, I think it's time to leave and let your mother rest." The voice broke through the silence. Lucy turned to see her Rachel, Jasmine, and Cathy standing behind her. She didn't even hear them enter or knock the door.

"But," Lucy started but was stopped by her mother.

"Listen to them Lucy," Layla said. Lucy had no other choice but to obey her mother. She sighed and got off the bed. She turned to her mother and kissed her on the cheek before running out of the room. Lucy was about to go to the courtyard, but wanted to wait for her nanny. She walked back to the doors until she heard voices. It was coming from her mother's room. Lucy slowly crept towards the doors.

"How are you doing Layla?" That was her Rachel's voice.

"It gets harder each day I'm afraid," Layla answered. What were they talking about? "How long?"

"Not long enough, my queen," Jasmine said in a sorrowful tone. What does she mean "not long"?

"How is Lucy?" Layla asked. Why would her mother ask that? They just talked a while ago.

"She is growing stronger and stronger each day. Her beauty and intelligence are growing like flowers blooming during spring. They just won't stop," Cathy's voice reassured.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the other thing."

There was a short silence until Rachel answered. "She knows nothing, but considering how clever she is, it won't be a while until she figures it out. Your daughter really is something else, my queen."

She heard her mother grunt in agreement, but started having a coughing fit. Lucy decided she didn't want to hear anymore. She started running towards the courtyard with questions running through her head.

* * *

The skies decided to mourn today along with all of Fiore. Today their beloved kingdom lost their queen. Last night, Queen Layla Heartfilia took her last breath. Her illness finally took her life, forcing her to leave her family.

By the Queen's coffin stood King Jude Heartfilia and Princess Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy stood bravely beside her father as tears poured out of her eyes. She clenched her fists on her sides and looked at her mother's coffin. Flowers surrounded the coffin. It was almost like her mother was in a meadow resting. This wasn't supposed to happen. Her mother was supposed to stay with her forever. Why did she have to die? Why did she leave her?

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at her father. Lucy noticed his father wet face, but his eyes weren't puffy or red like hers. Lucy sniffled and wiped her tears away. "It's time to say goodbye to your mother Lucy," Jude said.

Lucy nodded and walked up to her mother. The guards made small steps for her. More tears poured down her face with each step she took. Her little body shook when she stood in front of her mother's sleeping form. Lucy closed her eyes because she couldn't take seeing her mother's body.

"Mama, I love you so much. I'm going to miss you. I promise to become a princess that's you'll be proud of. I'll also become a powerful Celestial mage like you. I'll write to you everyday and tell you everything that you've missed. Take care, Mama. Love you." Lucy let out a breath she was holding and looked at her mother.

Her mother looked beautiful even at death's bed. Her golden locks fanned around her head. Her white dress surrounded her body and turned her into an angel. But something was missing. Lucy looked at her mother's head and noticed that she didn't have a crown. Where was the crown? Her mother was the queen. Where was the crown Lucy made for her?

Lucy turned around and looked at her father. "Father, where's Mama's crown?" she asked.

Jude walked up to her side and took her away from the coffin. "She doesn't need her crown, Lucy."

"Yes, she does!" Lucy shrieked. "She promised she would wear it everyday! She would never break her promise."

"Lucy, compose yourself. This is not how a princess acts in public."

"Mama! You promised!" Lucy cried. Jude had no choice but to give Lucy to her nannies because he had to finish the funeral. Lucy struggled in her nanny's arms. Grief racked through her body as she cried louder and louder each time.

Rachel turned her away from the coffin and made Lucy look at her. "Lucy, you have to calm down."

Lucy hiccupped and rubbed her eyes. "But Mama isn't wearing her crown."

"What crown, Lucy?" Jasmine asked.

"The flower crown I made for her. She promised she would wear it everyday."

Her nannies were silent as it dawned to them. They smiled sadly at Lucy and embraced her. Rachel carried Lucy and walked over to the coffin. "Hey, do you wanna know a secret?" Rachel whispered.

Always the one to gain more knowledge, Lucy seized her sniffles and looked at her nanny. "What kind of secret?"

"Look at your mommy."

Lucy looked down and saw her mother wearing her flower crown. Now her mother was complete and perfect. She looked more like an angel now. Lucy gasped and looked at Rachel. "B-but... how?"

Rachel winked at Lucy and made a shushing noise. "It's a secret." Lucy smiled and thanked Rachel. Rachel took Lucy to where Jasmine and Cathy were. Lucy stood in front of her nannies as her father concluded the funeral and buried her mother into the deep ground.

"See you soon, Mama."


	2. The Princess, the Beast, and his Cat

**Chapter 1**

_The Princess, the Beast, and his cat?_

"I'm so bored!" Lucy whined. Lucy walked over to her balcony and looked far at the horizon. Lucy always wondered what was beyond the castle grounds. She imagined a wide meadow where she can run, birds flying everywhere; flowers cover the ground like a blanket, and just the feeling of being free. Lucy wished she could be free.

That was all she could do. Wish. But what can wishes do? It's not like she can wish on a shooting star and it just magically comes true. She tried that a million times and she doesn't see herself wake up in a different place other than her godforsaken room.

Lucy groaned and threw herself onto her soft bed. She sunk into the soft covers and stared at her ceiling. It was covered with different constellations that her nannies helped her paint. She knew all of them by heart already. She can spot the zodiac constellations without having to trace and connect the stars. She can also name each one of them.

Lucy rolled to her side and stared at her bookshelf. She had so many books that she had three gigantic bookshelves in her room. The books consisted mostly of romance books, her old fairy tale books, astrological books, and many more. Her nannies are the ones who usually bring her new books to read. Lucy has already read most of the books twice or thrice, so reading was out of the list for things to do.

It's always boring in her room whenever she's alone. This started right after her mother's death. Her father just suddenly ordered her to the highest tower in the palace and locked her there. He didn't even give an explanation. He just ordered the servants to take all of her belongings and lock her in the tower. She gets the occasional visits from her nannies, rare visits from her father, and none from anybody else.

'_I wish something would happen_,' she thought. She sighed and once again looked up at her constellations. She wished anything would happen. Lucy was sick of being in the same room every single day when she could be outside. Lucy has been trapped inside the tower for as long as she can remember. Now she was seventeen and staring at the same wall for about ten years is making her crazy. '_If only..._' she sighed.

Since it was almost dark, Lucy decided to take a quick bath to relax her nerves. Lucy grabbed a towel and some scented candles. Lucy made her way to her bathroom and while the water ran, she lit the candles on by one. The scent of warm vanilla sugar filled the bathroom. Lucy sighed deeply. Before getting into the soapy bathtub, Lucy took off her clothes and threw them into the laundry bag hidden in her bedroom closet.

Lucy finally relaxed when her body was submerged. Lucy was lucky enough to gain a curvaceous body. She wasn't fat from lying down all day. She kept her body fit by exercising daily. Her nannies also helped her watch her food consumption. From being inside all day, Lucy also gained a pale skin tone. Not sickly pale, but a cream color. Lucy also took care of her blonde locks. She kept it shoulder blade length with bangs parting to her left.

Relaxing in the bathtub helped Lucy. This would be the only time she could think clearly. The scent of the candles, the quietness of the room, and the occasional splash of water helped Lucy calm her nerves and just forget. Forget her mother died, forget that she was stuck in a tower, and forget about her father.

When Lucy began dozing off, she heard a bang in her room. She immediately sat up and grabbed her towel. Lucy knew what to do at this type of situations. Her nannies drilled her in case anything happened while they were gone or she could not contact anybody. There was also another problem. The only type of clothing she had was a towel. Lucy rummaged through her bathroom until she found a broom. She may not be able to do anything with a broom and her situation, but with her books located in her room, she may be able to at least injure or knock out the intruder until the guards come.

Lucy clenched the broom and slowly opened her door. She gulped, which was surprisingly hard to do right now. Lucy could see the intruder's silhouette with the moonlight. It looked like a man because of the short hair and muscles, but it also had wings. Wings? There's also a tail! This was not human. Lucy had no other choice but to confront this beast. It would be a matter of time until the beast discovers her location so, why not confront him head on?

Lucy took a deep breath and charged. She screamed a battle cry and swatted the beast. She felt a hit and heard something hit the wall. She turned towards the beast, but it seemed to have lost its tail and wings. Lucy still charged on and hit the beast with her broom.

"Whoa! Calm down. You just hit Happy!" the beast said. Wait. The beast talked. The beast just said words. Lucy started screaming and hitting the beast more. It said some unintelligible words and grabbed the broom.

The beast pulled the broom away from Lucy that made her fall onto the floor. The Beast threw the broom across the room, grabbed Lucy's wrist, and covered Lucy's mouth.

Lucy started to struggle. She was going to die. She hasn't even experienced her first kiss yet and she was going to die. She was going to die in this tower before she could even venture out into the open and escape her father. Whoever said wishing on a star could solve your problems was a joke. Lucy has been wishing all her life and this was the result of it all. She was going to die in the hands of a beast.

"Shh, calm down. I'll release you if you keep quiet and calm down. Do you promise to calm down?" the beast asked.

Lucy stopped and looked at the beast. She could see his black eyes looking at her. His piercing black eyes slowly captured Lucy's hazel eyes. Lucy felt dazed as she stared into them, but she remembered that she was still captured. Lucy gulped and franticly nodded, wanting the beast to get off of her. The beast slowly uncovered her mouth in case she started screaming. Lucy backed away from the beast until she hit the wall.

"Hey Happy. You okay?" the beast asked. Lucy heard groaning and an "aye". Oh great, there was also another beast that can talk.

Lucy saw the beast look at her direction. "Hey, do you mind lighting some candles?" Lucy reached for the matches that were located in her side table drawers. She took it out and lit the candles located on her tables, by the door, and above her bed. Before Lucy could blow the fire from the match away, a calloused hand grabbed her wrist.

Lucy could now clearly see the beast...er... man. It was just an ordinary man but with salmon colored hair and piercing black eyes. Lucy noticed the man's mischievous grin that made Lucy's heart beat a million times faster. Lucy couldn't help but blush under his gaze until the man did the most odd thing. He opened his mouth and at the match with the fire on it. Lucy stared in disbelief as the man just licked his lips and grinned. "Thanks for the snack!"

Lucy screamed and kicked the man into the wall. "What are you doing in here?" Lucy shouted. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which was her heart-shaped pillow. Which wasn't an ideal choice for a weapon or shield, but it was better than nothing.

The man groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "God, you really have a hard kick. You promised to calm down."

"Well, that was before that other beast talked and you ate fire."

"Beast? Are you talking about Happy? Happy is pretty cool, huh?" the man chuckled.

With the light, Lucy could clearly see her intruders. Walking towards the pink haired man was a blue cat. It was walking on its hind legs and carried a green bag. It stopped in front of Natsu and greeted Lucy. "Aye! I'm Happy and I didn't appreciate the broom to the face."

Lucy calmed her beating heart from hearing the cat talk for the second time. This was not normal. Cats don't talk and they especially don't have wings. Wait, wings just magically popped out of the cat's back.

"And I'm Natsu Dragneel," the pink haired man said. Lucy turned her attention to him. Lucy noticed Natsu wearing a black open vest that clearly showed his well-toned muscles. He also wore black loose pants with black boots. The pants were tucked into the boots that made the pants puff up a bit. Natsu also wore a scaly muffler around his neck.

Remembering her mannerism lessons from her nannies, Lucy nodded and introduced herself. "Lucy Heartfilia. Now answer my question. What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head and plopped down onto Lucy's favorite couch. "Well, me and Happy were walking by town when I smelled something sweet. So, we decided to investigate and we came across this tower. Happy flew up while carrying me and then he was suddenly attacked by a broom," Natsu explained.

Lucy grabbed her bathrobe and wrapped it around her body. It seemed like a logical explanation except for the fact that this man could smell her scented candles all the way from town. "How did you smell my candles from all the way there?"

"Oh, forgot to tell you." Happy flew towards Lucy and landed in front of her. Happy grinned evilly and looked at Lucy. "Natsu's a mage. He uses fire dragon slayer magic."

Lucy stared in disbelief and looked at Natsu. Natsu only answered with a toothy grin. Lucy has never met a mage before except for her mother. Her mother was a celestial mage and the last time Lucy saw her mother's spirits was before she became deadly ill. So, basically Natsu is the first mage Lucy has seen in ten years.

"So, is that why you ate the fire?" Lucy hesitantly asked.

Natsu nodded. "But I can do more than just eat fire." Natsu opened his hand and flames engulfed his hand without burning his skin. Suddenly Natsu stopped his flame and looked at Lucy. "I hear footsteps coming up."

Lucy gasped and started pushing Natsu and Happy out towards the balcony. "I'm sorry, but you guys have to leave. If they find out you're here, they would kill you." Okay, she exaggerated a bit, but Natsu should get the point.

"Hey, hey. Quit pushing," Natsu grumbled. "What are you scared of anyway?"

"I'm sorry, but you just have to leave. You can come by tomorrow again, but you have to leave. Now." Happy's wings appeared again and grabbed Natsu's backpack. Natsu turned back to Lucy and grinned at her. He took a step back and fell. Lucy ran towards her balcony and saw Natsu's figure running through the large field and into the forest.

Lucy sighed and as she made her way towards her bed, thunderous knocking resounded from her door. Lucy gasped and quickly put on her nightgown and robe. She quickly fixed her hair in a bun. She softly landed on her bed with a book in hand, leaned against the headboard, and cleared her throat. "Enter," she said nonchalantly.

First, her nannies entered the room. They stopped in front of her bed while the guards stayed by the door.

"We heard screaming," Jasmine said.

Lucy looked at them with knitted eyebrows. Lucy quickly formed a story in her head that should be able to explain and hopefully answer their questions about the earlier incident. "Oh! That was just me. I thought I saw a mouse, but later found out that it was just my washcloth," Lucy laughed.

With her nannies' hard gaze on her, Lucy couldn't help but look away. She needed to keep her cool and just play innocent. She looked back at them, but focused on her wall behind them.

"We heard voices," Cathy added.

"That would be me reading to myself," Lucy answered. She was safe there. She had a book in her hand, which she checked in case it was upside down.

"A male voice?" Rachel raised her eyebrow. Lucy was screwed there, but that fight wasn't over. Good thing she grabbed the right book that had a male as the main character.

"Since the story had male dialogue, I had to have a male voice." Lucy never missed a beat. She answered them perfectly and without a giving a clue about her intruders. Lucy could feel her whole body shaking as her nannies stared at her.

Rachel, Jasmine, and Cathy nodded to each other. They seemed satisfied enough about Lucy's answers, but she knew better. By the look of their eyes, they knew Lucy was hiding something, but she didn't give any indication.

Rachel turned to Lucy and bowed. "We are sorry to have disturbed your reading time, princess. Have a good night." Jasmine and Cathy also bowed and signaled the guards to leave.

After they left, Lucy let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding. She put down the book, and leaned into her pillows. Lucy couldn't get that pink haired man out of her head.

His spiky pink hair that looked so soft. Lucy wanted to run her hands through his locks and feel how soft they were. His piercing black eyes captured her hazel eyes. It was hard to look away from those eyes. Then his grin. Oh God. His grin made Lucy melt. He just had that mischievous grin that made Lucy's heart flutter.

Wait. What was she thinking? She just met this guy. Not to mention, he trespassed into her room without permission. Lucy isn't supposed to think these thoughts about a man she just met. For all Lucy knew, Natsu could be prisoner that escaped or a wanted man. Lucy couldn't fall in love. But she couldn't get him out of her head. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see this face that made Lucy blush. When she opened her eyes. She could still remember where he stood and his face.

"_God, stupid teenage hormones!_" Lucy thought. This is what happens when a girl at the age of seventeen is deprived from normal girl stuff. Lucy hasn't even experience her first boyfriend yet. She never really got the chance to experience that. Lucy doubts she would experience it at all if she stays in her room for all eternity.

Lucy groaned and buried her face into her pillows. She looked off to the side and stared at the bright moon. Lucy smiled to herself, remembering that Natsu and his cat, Happy, would be visiting again tomorrow. Lucy yawned and buried herself in blankets and pillows. She couldn't wait for her guests tomorrow. Lucy knew that tomorrow would be different. Little did Lucy know how different it would be.

Okay. If this is how guests really are then guests are basically just intruders! Lucy was beyond irritated at her "guests". No, guest was the wrong word for these two considering she found Natsu sleeping on her bed while she was taking a shower. Her "guests" were currently eating her lunch that her nannies kindly left for her. These two really have no regards for other people's possessions and privacies. She found the cat rummaging through her stash of candy.

Lucy could feel her body shaking with anger as Natsu plopped himself on her couch with his feet resting on the coffee table. He used his arms as pillows and Lucy couldn't help but quietly admire how his muscles flexed. "_No! Bad Lucy! You can't fall for him!_" Lucy thought to herself.

"Lucy is making a weird face again," Happy pointed out with a disgusted look.

"Shut up, you stupid cat!" Lucy shouted. Lucy groaned as a headache began to rise. She turned to the lounging Natsu on her couch. Her eyes took a quick glance at his muscles but quickly averted her gaze to his face. Bad idea. A slight blush still appeared on her face. She gulped when she finally found her voice. "So, why did you guys decide to come here in the afternoon? I would think you guys would come tonight."

"Me and Happy liked the smell of your room and how soft your bed is," Natsu casually answered. "And who would want to visit at night? That would just result in less time spending with you. Hey, do you have any fire I can eat?"

A blush suddenly appeared on Lucy cheeks when he said he wanted to spend time with you, but then she had to answer his illogical answer with an answer that would make more sense in a normal person's mind. Lucy decided to ignore his fire question. "Oh, I don't know. So, that none of the guards will see you two barging into my tower."

"They wouldn't have caught us. I'll just have to burn them and come visit you."

"That would just result in you being captured, injured, and executed for trying to visit me."

"Just for a visit? Man, you're folks are harsh." Did he not know that he was in a castle grounds at this very moment?

"_I swear, this guy is just an idiot_," Lucy thought. She sighed and just decided to drop the subject before he stupidly answer more questions.

By now Lucy would usually be either, gazing out through her balcony, reading, writing, or just staring at her ceiling. Now she finally had somebody to talk to. Lucy noticed Natsu getting up and stretching his muscles. His muscles rippled under his vest. Lucy gulped and tried to look away, but her body was frozen. She had to look away before she started falling for this guy. She doesn't need a love life at this moment considering her predicament. Lucy tried to avert her gaze, but it didn't really help that he only wore a vest.

Natsu let out a loud sigh as he felt relief in his muscles. He looked at Lucy and said, "Why don't we go exploring? Being in one place all the time makes me bored."

"_Tell me about it_," Lucy thought. If anybody knew boredom, it was Lucy. Exploring did sound nice. She followed Natsu to the door until she remembered it. She gasped and pulled Natsu away from the door with Happy floating above them.

With Natsu's weight and Lucy losing her balance. She felt herself fall backwards. She closed her eyes, ready for the floor and Natsu to smash her body. Any minute now, she will be squished like a tomato. Seriously, when was she going to hit that floor? Not that she was asking to be smashed, but shouldn't she be gasping for the lack of air because of Natsu's body on top of her.

"Are you okay, Luce?" she heard Natsu's voice but didn't feel his body crushing her.

She opened her eyes and completely regretted it. Natsu's face was so close to hers and he had that serious look on his face that just made her brain stop working. She felt fire rise from her cheeks and spread all over her face. Her body just froze in shock and she couldn't stop looking at Natsu.

Her eyes looked from his own piercing gaze to his lips. Oh Lord. His lips. Lucy couldn't help but lick her lips and imagined herself kissing his lips. Lucy had to mentally slap herself. She shouldn't be thinking of a stranger that way and why did a picture of Natsu in a tux and her in a wedding dress with Happy flying above them pop-up in her head?

"Natsu, I think you broke Lucy," Happy said.

"What? I didn't break her. I caught her before she fell so I stopped her from breaking." Oh, so that's what happened. That explained the strong arms wrapped around her waist and back. They felt so warm.

"_But on the other hand, why would those two talk about me as if I'm a toy?_" Lucy thought.

"I think she has a fever."

"How would you know?"

"Her face is red."

"Oh, you're right." Lucy felt the arm around her back leave and a calloused hand was placed on her cheek. This just made her temperature rise. "Her temperature feels normal."

"Natsu, normal to you is above normal body temperature. You're like a walking furnace!"

"I am not furniture!" Natsu grunted and his attention went back to Lucy. "Hey Luce, are you okay? You don't have a fever right?" Natsu lightly patted Lucy's cheeks and that took her out of her fantasy world where she and Natsu were cuddling around a fireplace.

When Lucy finally came back from La la land, she noticed their position. She screamed and pushed Natsu off of her. Since Natsu had such a steel grip on her waits, he took her with him when he also tripped and fell. While Natsu felt the hard floor on his back, soft objects were pressed on his face.

He heard Happy gasp and walk over to them. "Natsu, are you okay? I hope Lucy didn't crush you with her weight!"

The soft objects left Natsu's face and he could finally breath again. Though, he felt pressure on his torso. "Shut up, you stupid cat. I am not that fat!"

"Luce, you okay?" Natsu asked for a third time.

Lucy finally realized the position she was in. She was straddling Natsu with her hands resting on his hard rock chest. She quickly pushed herself off Natsu and sat by his figure. "I'm fine. Thanks Natsu."

"No problem, Luce."

"Luce?"

"Yeah. It's you're new nickname." He grinned.

Lucy blushed for about the umpteenth time and repeated her new nickname in her head. "_Luce. Luce. Luce._" It sounded nice. It was like her new identity and a new persona. She grinned back at Natsu. "I like it!"

"Hey Lucy. I have a question." Happy sat in between Natsu and Lucy. He had a fish on his mouth. Lucy wondered where the fish came from. "Why did you attack Natsu like a monster?"

Lucy ignored the monster part. "There are guards at the bottom of the staircase. They would capture Natsu and make me come back to my room. I've never been out of this room in more than ten years."

"Why would they keep you here?"

"I don't even know the answer to that. One day, my father just ordered me to stay here and never come out. I've always obeyed him and never question his decisions."

"Well, that's stupid. I think you're father is stupid." Lucy couldn't help but smile and agree with Natsu's statement.

Lucy looked toward her balcony and decided to explain a bit more before Natsu started accusing her father. "My father is the king of Fiore, but I think you already know that. After my mother died, he kept me inside this room and ordered guards to keep me in here and to not let me out."

"Wait! You're father's is the king?" Natsu shouted.

"Well, yeah. Why do you think there's a tower with Fiore's flags on it and not to mention my tiara is right there?" Lucy looked back at Natsu and Happy and noticed their faces. Their faces were frozen in realization and that just ticked Lucy off.

"You guys didn't even know you were trespassing into castle grounds?"


	3. The Runaway

**Chapter 2**

_The Runaway_

"So, you're looking for an overgrown lizard?" Lucy asked nonchalantly as she ate a piece of bread her nannies delivered her for dinner.

The sun began to set; crickets chirped their song while birds retired into their nests. Just a while ago, Lucy's nannies brought a place of food for Lucy but as Lucy remembered she was housing guests. At this moment, her nannies were preparing her seconds. Questionable looks from her nannies were answered with a smile and a lame excuse. The lame excuse being her lunch turned spoiled and she didn't eat it. A little blue cat just happened to burp but Lucy played it off as her own.

Now the group was sitting around her room with Lucy occupying an exquisitely carved white chair with flowers painted on it, Natsu lounging on the couch while chewing on a drumstick, and Happy happily taking small bites of his fish.

Silence covered the room. Lucy looked at Natsu and Happy. Both of them wore hurt faces. Natsu promptly dropped his drumstick. "He is not an overgrown lizard. He's the mightiest dragon alive!"

"Okay, he's a dragon. So, why are you looking for him? Do you need to slay him or something?"

Another piece of the chicken was eaten. "I can't slay him. He's practically my dad but he disappeared a few years ago and I've been traveling with Happy to hunt him down. I won't give up until I see him again."

A lost parent was not a new thing around here. Many people who have lost a parent of close relative share this feeling. There's just that sense of lose, a hole in your heart, that can never come back. Natsu hoped that his dragon was still alive while Lucy knew her mother would never come back.

"Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be near a mountain or in a forest looking for him?"

"I heard that there was a sighting of a monster near here that can destroy a village. So, have you seen any dragon flying around here?"

"Do I look stupid?"

"Yes," Happy interjected.

"Shut up, you stupid cat! Nobody asked you."

"You actually did, Lucy," Natsu pointed out. "And here I though you were smart."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"I don't really know what that means, Natsu." Happy shrugged it off. "I think Lucy is stupid enough to make up words." Natsu nodded while having a debate with Happy.

"Don't talk like I'm not here! And it's not that important anyway." After taking a sip of her tea to calm her nerves, Lucy turned to them. "To answer your question, no dragon has been sighted here. I've been living here my whole life and I have never seen a dragon."

"Your whole life?" Happy asked. He floated right in front of Lucy and landed on the table in front of her. "Does that mean you haven't been outside?"

Lucy shook her head. "I loved playing outside when I was little, but my dad ordered me to stay in this tower. I've never been outside in such a long time. I want to see my mother's garden again but that hasn't been possible lately."

"Then why are you here?" Natsu asked her.

"Weren't you listening? My father ordered me to stay here and that means-"

"You talk too much and that wasn't the right answer."

"How would you know what the right answer is? I already gave you an explanation."

"I'm not asking your father why you are here. I'm asking you. Why are you staying here when you could be out there?"

If her reason were her father's orders then it would be wrong. Nobody ever asked her that question. A princess should never question her father's decisions. All her life, she has obeyed her father's ordered even if there were instances when she tried to sneak out. Lucy repeated the question in her head. "_Why am I here when I could be outside free from all this?_" Nothing came to mind. There was a door but is heavily guarded. She can leave through the balcony but would be caught in the end anyway. She even tried to leave through the door that connected her to the palace but would be scolded by her father and ordered to stay in her room. Crying never helped her in these situations. Nobody would be there to comfort her except her nannies.

Lucy turned to Natsu with a sad smile. "I don't know. I guess, I never really thought about that. Don't get me wrong. I've tried escaping a few times but as time gradually went by, I just gave up. I'm a caged bird, Natsu. I may have wings to help me fly but I'm limited to this cage. I can sing but can that free me? What can a bird do to let herself free? She'll always and will be a caged bird. Never to be released and spread her wings. Her hopeless dream is to escape. "

When Lucy stopped, she noticed herself sniffling and droplets of water dripping from her chin. Tears streamed down her face in agitation as she said those words. Her hands didn't really help hide her sobbing but hiding made her feel like she was far away from this world, from this life. Why was she even crying? She cried a million times before but to not to this extent. Her feelings right now were different from what she felt before. Before she cried because of being isolated and failed attempts to escape. Now she doesn't know why. This feeling in her heart that felt like something was squeezing it. It hurt. All her pain and loneliness for ten years suddenly exploded and shown to a stranger she just met.

Hands encircled her wrists. Lucy stopped crying and looked up. His eyes were burning. They held strength and determination. This was different. Before his eyes were so full of mischief and laughter. They seem more mature and understanding.

"Then I'll help you. We're going to set you free. All you need to do is never give up because that's when you lose."

"How? You're just a man that can eat and use fire and you have a talking, flying cat? What can you do against the army of Fiore?"

Natsu grinned at her as Happy fly up behind him. Happy landed on Natsu's head and gave Lucy the same determination and confident Natsu had. "You forgot the part of Natsu being a fire dragon slayer and the strongest man in all of Fiore. He's invincible and can win any fight."

"A fire dragon slayer?"

"Yep. So leave everything to me. I won't give up until you're out of this place," Natsu declared. "We leave today!"

Lucy grasped Natsu's hand. "No, not today."

"Why not, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I want to wait tomorrow because there will be less guards on patrol. The less people here, the less people will get hurt if you're going to be fighting. I don't want anybody to get hurt," Lucy said. Tomorrow was also her nannies' off day. They don't need to be here and get caught in the cross fire if Natsu really does fight his way through.

"Princess, we have your seconds!" a voice called from her door. Panic covered Lucy body and she immediately stuffed Natsu and Happy into her wardrobe. There were protests but she got them in the closet.

"Yes!" Lucy smiled. "Thank you."

"Are you all right princess?" Jasmine asked. "You don't usually ask for this much food before."

"As I remember, even when you were little you never asked for seconds except if it was treats," Rachel reminisced. Light laughter erupted from her. "You were so cute back then."

"Rachel," Lucy whined. "And I'm fine, Jasmine. I just didn't eat breakfast today."

"Well, whatever the reason, we're happy to serve you, Princess," said Cathy with a smile. Her nannies entered her room and placed the food on Lucy's table. Each carried a different dish. Carrying the main entrée was Rachel, drinks were carried by Jasmine, and Cathy brought one of her famous desserts. Cherry pie with whip cream and a cherry on top.

Her nannies looked around the room. They held disapproving faces. "Princess, I know not many people visit you, but your room shouldn't be this disorganized," Rachel sniffed. A pile of books was pushed towards a corner.

"You are a princess and a princess should always be tidy," Jasmine scolded. Pillows were thrown everywhere, courtesy of Natsu and Happy's pillow fight earlier.

"Please clean your room, Princess," Cathy ordered. Clothes were everywhere. That would be Lucy's fault. Her favorite hair tie was nowhere to be seen until she searched under her mattress.

"Yes, Rachel, Jasmine, and Cathy," Lucy nodded. "I will do that as soon as possible."

Rachel sighed. "Since we are already here, we will help you."

Panic covered all of Lucy's body. A small glance at her wardrobe heightened it. She ran up to her nannies before any of them touched anything in her room. "Thank you so much for the offer, but I think I can handle a small mess," Lucy gulped.

They hesitated for a second but obliged. "As you wish, Princess. Please do not hesitate to ask for assistance anytime," Jasmine nodded.

"I will keep that in mind. Thank you so much and sorry for troubling you," Lucy said politely.

"Your welcome, Princess," the three chorused. After gathering Lucy's empty plates from her first serving, they bid her farewell.

Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Remembering her guests stuffed in her wardrobe, Lucy quickly let them out. Before Natsu could squish Lucy, she sidestepped and stared at Natsu's fallen figure. Happy flew overhead. When Happy smelled the food, his mouth started watering and attached the fish that was included in the meal. Natsu sucked in a breath and his figure revived.

"God, Luce." Natsu let out a groan. "Why'd you suddenly stuff us in there?"

"If you haven't forgotten, nobody knows you're here. I don't need my nannies reporting you and the guards suddenly double in number," Lucy said. "And Luce?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, It's your new nickname! Do you like it?"

A smile formed on Lucy's face. "Luce. I like it."

What does a nickname mean? Many books had men give women nicknames or pet names. Friends also gave each other nicknames. But Natsu is a friend and a guy. What does this mean? A nickname shouldn't be this trivial. Just another name that another person dubbed onto you. But can it mean so much more? The other names people call her other than Lucy would be princess, your highness, or your majesty. Nothing casual like Luce. Should Lucy be concerned about this nickname?

"She likes him," Happy purred.

Light red painted Lucy's face as she desperately tried to cover it while looking away. "Stop rolling your tongue," Lucy snapped.

"Well, we'll be leaving now, Luce. We'll see you tomorrow," Natsu waved as she squatted on her balcony.

The princess ran up to Natsu and grabbed his arm before he jumped off. "Wait!" Lucy hesitated for a second before courage embraced her heart. "Do you have anywhere to stay for the night? Since tomorrow's the day, I think it would be smart enough for you two to stay here for the night so that we can leave early."

Her first guest just arrived and Lucy did not want to be away from him. The feeling was foreign but during the first night Natsu came, she had the feeling that she wanted him to stay. Not just to keep her company, but there was something unrecognizable. It felt like a tug to Lucy. Maybe it was just having a guest and not wanting them to leave.

Natsu stared at her for a while before grinning like a child. "Well, we've been staying at a cave for the time being, but crashing here sounds better and Happy won't have to complain about cold floors."

"So, you'll stay?" she asks warily.

"Aye!" Happy answered. The blue cat happily flew around her room. He stopped and stared at her. "Lucy, do you think your nannies can bring in more fish?"

"Do you want them to think I'm weird?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"But you already are!" Happy flew up the air before Lucy could catch him. She landed on the floor with a thump and growled at the devious cat. "Happy, get down here!"

An exuberant laughed echoed around the room. The pink haired dragon slayer clutched his stomach and grinned devilishly. Another light laugh joined his. Having friends over was fun. This feeling hasn't visited Lucy in a while. The feeling of actually having fun and having others enjoy it with you. Isolation did a number on Lucy, but she felt as if her few hours with Natsu and Happy made up for it.

Lucy had to stifle a yawn after she checked the time. The sky darkened and the moon was already high up in the sky. The stars appeared one by one. Even if the stars can only be visible at night, Lucy knew they were also there by day.

"I think it's time for bed, guys," Lucy informed.

"Lucy," Natsu and Happy whined like a child being denied of a cookie. "It's still too early."

"My tower, my rules," Lucy firmly said.

Natsu and Happy grumbled but complied. They stretched for a bit before falling onto Lucy's bed. The weight made the soft bed creak but that was ignored. The boys sighed into the soft sheets and promptly started snoring.

"Get off my bed!" Lucy snapped.

Natsu yawned while Happy snuggled into the bed. "But you said it's time for bed."

"I did but not on my bed!"

"Why not?"

"It's improper and it's my bed."

No reply.

"Natsu?"

A loud rumbling noise.

A sigh and an annoyed snort. "Of course he would ignore me and go on sleeping. God, what an idiot." A roll of the eyes and pause. A small smile played on her lips and a light blush covered her cheeks. "Even though he looks so peaceful and cute." A loud snore from the sleeping man. "Okay, that just ruined it."

Her body felt like lead. She slowly changed into her nightwear and climbed into the bed. She pushed Natsu and Happy's body to the right side of the bed while she took the left side. Thankfully she could still pull her blanket and cover her body. A sigh escaped her lips. Tomorrow was going to be the best day ever. Two days have passed since Natsu came and her world is already upside down. Maybe having a pink haired dragon slayer and his flying, talking blue cat as friends weren't that bad.

* * *

That morning Lucy quickly packed clothes that she would need and items she wanted to keep. Most of her clothes were her old dresses, which Natsu helped rip into short skirts since most of her dresses were floor length. The boys had so much fun ripping her clothes, especially Happy, that some of the dresses were really short skirts that went mid-thigh or higher. They got an earful for that.

Important books were added into the backpack along with more than enough gold coins. The box full of letters to her mother was secured in the bottom of her backpack. When Lucy felt that she had everything she needed, she went over to her desk and wrote a short letter to her father and an apology to her nannies.

_Father,_

_ I decided to run away because I cannot stand being imprisoned in this tower. Mother would never approve of this. I finally have the courage to say this to you. You are the most awful father! I want my father back. My real father that used to laugh and play with Mother and I. You are not my father. I disown myself from the Heartfilia name. I never want to see you ever again. Goodbye. Forever._

_Lucy_

_Rachel, Jasmine, and Cathy,_

_ Thank you for taking care of all these years. I'm sorry, but I have to leave this place. All of you might disapprove but this is my choice. I need to make my own decision because this is my life. I hold my own fate in my hands. I don't want to be coped up in a tower all y life. I want adventure. I don't think I'm going to have that if I stay here. I will miss all of you and I hope we can meet again. I love you guys._

_With love,_

_Lucy_

Teardrops stained the letters. Mostly in her nannies' letters but droplets covered her father's too. No, not her father's. Her king's. Lucy wiped her tears away and turned to Natsu.

"What's the plan?" Lucy asked.

Natsu adjusted his backpack strap and turned to Lucy. "Plan T!"

"What's Plan T?"

"Take 'em by storm!" Happy shouted.

"Are you stupid? We can't just go through the castle and attack any soldier that just happens to pass by. We need an actual plan that ensures less damage," Lucy explained. "I also need to grab something from my mother's room."

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"Celestial keys." Natsu and Happy cocked their heads to the side. "I'm explain it to you some other time. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of this tower without being seen and head over to my mother's room."

"Got it," Happy and Natsu chorused.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

"You jump, I'll catch," Natsu said simply.

"Excuse me, what?"

"It's simple. Me and Natsu are going to be at the bottom of the tower, you jump and Natsu will catch you," Happy explained. "God, Lucy. How stupid can you get?"

"Well, I'm sorry if I don't really feel like dying before I can even take a step on real ground," Lucy retorted. "How about Happy takes me down first and then go back for Natsu?"

"Lucy, I don't think I can carry you."

"Shut up, cat! I weight less than Natsu."

"That's what you think." Lucy growled but restrained herself from killing her only hope of getting out of this castle without her having to jump more than twenty stories.

"Lucy," Natsu whined, "where's the fun part in that?"

"The fun part is me keeping my body in one piece."

"Fine," Natsu and Happy grumbled. After some complaining and yelling, Happy finally got both Natsu and Lucy on the ground. The flying cat faked dropping Lucy a few times, but nothing big happened.

When Lucy finally felt real ground for the first time, she felt free. Adrenaline surge through her body as she twirled and pranced on grass. A fit of giggled erupted and made her trip. She happily felt the ground hit her body. It hurt, but feeling the grass on her skin was better.

"You ready, Luce?" A hand reached up to help her. "Let's go get your keys and get out of here." Lucy nodded and accepted Natsu's help.

The gang made their way to the garden at the back. So far none of the guards were patrolling outside and nobody saw them. They stayed near the wall as Natsu burned through a glass door and made a hole big enough for his hand to go through and reach the handle.

When they were finally inside, there was nobody there. Maids and butlers should be bustling around the palace grounds. Guards should be posted everywhere. This was an unusual setting inside the castle. It was never like this before. Either way, the gang kept quiet and made their way to the upstairs bedroom. Lucy's father either is in the throne room or in his study.

Memory was in Lucy's side today. She remembered every twist and turn she took as a child. Nostalgia greeted Lucy as she saw her younger self running through these very hallways. Her younger self disappeared.

Lucy came across white double doors that signaled her mother's room. She stopped Natsu and had them wait for her outside. She held the door handles with both hands, took a deep breath, and hesitated.

"Luce, what are you doing? I thought you wanted to get out of here," Natsu said.

"You're right." Courage helped her open the doors and she entered. The most unexpected thing greeted her. Her body stood frozen at the threshold of the room. "Rachel, Jasmine, Cathy. What are you doing here? It's your day off."

Lucy expected her nannies to scold her and push her to her tower but they didn't. They made their way to her with a key in each hand. They smiled lovingly at Lucy and surrounded her with a group hug.

"You are so much like your mother," Rachel started. "When you were a baby, a fairy gave you the gift of the Celestial Mage. I present you with Aquarius. She's very temperamental but is also very caring. She's the strongest spirit your mother possessed. But your mother wanted to warn you about Aquarius's tendencies to tease you about boyfriends."

"Another fairy gave you the gift of bravery," Jasmine perked up. "You always held a heart of courage that didn't stop you from doing anything. I present you with Taurus. He's also a very perverted cow so be careful. With that aside, he's also very loyal. He will protect you with all his might, but I think you won't need him as much seeing as you already have that boy guarding you."

Jasmine nodded behind Lucy and saw Natsu's body turned away from her, but his head was turned to her. When he noticed her looking, he quickly looked away and kept quiet. Lucy blushed and smiled at him.

Jasmine pinched Lucy's cheek and said, "Keep your friends close, kay?" Lucy grinned and nodded to her.

"I can't really explain what the last fairy gave you as a gift, but I assure you that it was a good one," Cathy said. "I've seen you grow so much. You are a very beautiful and intelligent young lady. Make us proud especially your mother. I present you with Cancer. He's an excellent hair stylist. For every occasion, he made your mother's hair look so extravagant. So, I think you'll enjoy him. Keep in mind that these are your mother's friends; friends that she held there. Now it's your turn."

"I'll miss you guys so much!" Lucy cried. "I'll never forget you guys and I hope we can see each other again."

"Don't worry, child," Rachel cooed. "You will and by that time, you will be a very powerful celestial mage like your mother."

"Now go before the maids, butlers, and guards return from the feast we made them," Jade smirked.

"What?" Lucy asked.

Cathy shushed her, "It's a secret. Now go, we'll see you soon."

Lucy nodded and ran to Natsu. Natsu looked back to the room and saw something glow. He shrugged it off and caught up to Lucy and Happy.

"Let's get out of here guys!" Lucy shouted with glee.

"Aye!" Natsu and Happy chorused.

At that moment, the new team was born. What kind of adventure will they encounter? Either way, these three knew it was going to be fun. Today, Princess Lucy Heartfilia disappeared and a new Lucy appeared. This time she had friends by her side and a new life.


	4. Fairy Tail

**Chapter 3**

_Fairy Tail_

Before they even arrived at the gates of the palace, Lucy was already complaining about blisters. It wasn't really her fault that the only shoes she was able to run in are flats. Unfortunately, most of her shoes consisted of heels.

"Natsu! My feet hurt!" Lucy whined. '_Why does the palace have such a large front courtyard?_' Lucy thought. The poor girl could already feel blisters forming on her feet.

"Come on Lucy," Happy encouraged. "We're almost there."

With her friend's encouragement, she huffed and pushed all whining away. They were so close to freedom and Lucy could finally escape.

Suddenly Natsu stopped. Lucy collided onto him but before they could fall, Natsu steadied her with his arms.

"Why'd you stop, Natsu?" Happy inquired.

The dragon slayer sniffed the air and looked at the direction of the palace. "Food," he said.

Lucy couldn't help but smack Natsu on his arm. "This is not the time for food."

"But I'm hungry," Natsu whined.

"We'll get some food when we get to the village," Lucy bribed. "We just need to get away first."

"So, do you mean when we step out of the palace grounds we can go get some food?" Natsu asked.

Lucy hesitantly nodded her head. The boys let out a whoop and suddenly the princess was being carried on the dragon slayer's shoulder.

A squeak escaped her mouth and her feet started flailing around. "Natsu put me down!"

Said boy shook his head. "Not until we get some grub."

"Food!" Happy sung.

The trio ran for quite a while. True to her nannies' word, there was no guard on duty. The trio quickly ran out of the palace grounds and into the village streets. Natsu dropped Lucy on the ground. Curses floated in the air and an angry woman smacked the dense man's head.

"Never drop me again," Lucy hissed.

The dragon slayer and flying cat laughed but silenced under the blonde's heated glare. "Yes, Lucy," they chorused.

Before the trio headed for some food, much to Natsu and Happy's protests, they stopped by a shop for Lucy to buy some clothes suited for traveling. While Natsu and Happy waited outside the store, Lucy picked some shorts for traveling that would make her nannies have an aneurism. Lucy also bought some tank tops and shirts. She luckily found a part of the sore that had sleepwear so she didn't have to wear her nightgown. After Lucy bought the clothes, she changed out of her tattered gown and into a short skirt and a tank top. She kept her hair in a side half ponytail.

When she stepped out of the store, Natsu and Happy bombarded her. They pulled her to the direction of the local restaurants. Lucy spotted a shoe store that sold boots for traveling. She convinced Natsu and Happy to stop while she bought her shoes. She picked black boots that went up to her knees.

Natsu and Happy picked a pleasant restaurant that had seats outside. Once they ordered their food, Natsu and Happy didn't hold anything back as they gulped down food after food while Lucy took small bites from her plate.

"So, Natsu, where are we headed after this?" Lucy asked.

Natsu wiped his mouth and took a drink before answering Lucy. "Well, since you said that there are no dragons around, I guess we'll head back to Magnolia."

"Why Magnolia?"

"That's where me and Happy live. I also promised the town's mayor that I would check in after I've search the area near the palace."

"Sounds like a plan. We should probably leave before dark. Magnolia is about a few hours away with carriage."

At the sound of "carriage", Natsu turned rigid and green. Wheels turning, bumps rocking the carriage, moving scenery, and the thought of just sitting in a moving carriage makes Natsu sick to the core. The dragon slayer had to gulp to keep the bile down.

He laughed nervously at Lucy. "Hey Luce. Can we avoid the carriage? I'd rather walk. You know how much I love the exercise and I think you need to exercise after being locked in that tower."

Lucy shook her head. "Nonsense. It would take us all night to get there. Carriage is the best option."

"Natsu has motion sickness, Lucy," informed Happy.

The girl's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I didn't know that," said Lucy. "Well, what can a small carriage ride do to a dragon slayer? It's just for a few hours. Come on. I want to get there before dark."

Happy followed Lucy while his male companion groaned. He reluctantly followed them but dreaded the evil four-wheel vehicle.

* * *

"Wow. You do have motion sickness," said Lucy.

After Lucy and Natsu rented a carriage and a couch, they headed to Magnolia. The teens sat across from each other with Happy hovering over his sick friend. Lucy was reading a book while Natsu lay down on the seat and groaned with each bump. In all her years, which most of it was spent in a tower, Lucy has never encountered a person who was actually sick of vehicles. It was kind of funny.

Feeling bile rising up his throat, Natsu grabbed onto the window of the carriage and hung his head out.

Lucy acted fast and held onto Natsu's vest. "Natsu, you're going to fall!" The smell of bile hit her nose and it took all of her strength not to let go of Natsu. "On the other hand, just stay there until we get to Magnolia."

"H...how long till w...we get th...there?" Natsu groaned out.

"We've should be there in a few minutes. Give or take," said Lucy.

"Hang in there Natsu," Happy cheered. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The pink haired dragon slayer raised a shaky hand and gave Happy a thumb up. Their female companion smiled at their interaction. '_This is going to be a fun adventure_,' Lucy thought.

A roar resounded in the air. Not a roar of a lion, but a roar of a town. Lucy looked out the window and could already see lights shining from a buzzing town. The whole town illuminated the whole sky. It was like the whole town was a star on Earth. Lucy couldn't help but feel giddy on the inside.

"Natsu! We're here!" Lucy exclaimed. She shook Natsu to get his attention, but only made his motion sickness worse. "Oh, sorry."

The town was so lively as night painted through the horizon. The streets were buzzing with people. Bars were open and many vendors were still selling their supplies. Couples walked hand-in-hand with smiling faces. Children were sparkling as the lights amazed them. Their parents followed behind while scolding them not to run. At the very horizon, Lucy could see a building that shined brighter than the whole town. She could hear music coming from the building.

The carriage stopped which concluded their ride to Magnolia. Right when the wheels stopped, Natsu's whole body jumped up and he started dancing in the carriage. "Yes! I've recovered!" he shouted. Happy danced along with him, celebrating Natsu's "recovery".

The trio got out of the carriage and thanked their coach. They walked through the town until they reached their destination. It was a huge building with a gate surrounding it. On the sign, it said "Fairy Tail".

Lucy stared in awe at the sight and the party going on inside and outside of the building. "Natsu, what is this?"

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Luce!" Natsu shouted. He laughed loudly and pulled Lucy towards the huge double doors. It reminded her of the front door entrance at the palace. Natsu kicked the door open with a loud bang. "Hey everyone! We made it back alive!"

"We're back!" Happy said. The group inside started greeting Natsu and inviting him to drink.

"So, did you find your dragon?" one of the men asked. To Lucy, he looked like a beaver. His buckteeth didn't help him either.

Lucy saw Natsu's eyes burn and he raced toward the man. He jumped into the air and kicked the guy in the face. "Bastard! You lied about Igneel!"

"Don't blame me! It was just a rumor!" the man shouted back.

"You wanna fight?" Natsu challenged.

"Bring it on!"

A fight broke out inside the building. Tables, chairs, cups, and people were flying through the air. Shouting and roughhousing was not foreign in Fairy Tail. Even the women were participating in the brawl. Lucy had to dough a couple of chair and beer bottles. She found herself by the building's bar where a beautiful lady was wiping a glass cup.

She smiled at Lucy. "Hello. Are you new here? I'm Mirajane." Mirajane had beautiful white hair flowing down her back with her bangs pulled back with a ponytail. She wore a pink dress that stopped at her ankles. It perfectly hugged her body and emphasized her chest. The white ribbon on her waist helped the dress flow outwards. It had pink hem completed the dress.

Lucy nodded. "Yes. I'm Lucy." The blonde had to hold her tongue. If anybody knew she was the princess, they would send her back and that would be ten more years in the tower until she could find an escape plan again.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail! This building was actually made by the mayor for mages that live in Magnolia. It's kind of like a headquarter for mages. The mages who live in Magnolia town are called Fairy Tail mages," explained Mirajane. Lucy had no problem absorbing the information. Everything was exciting and interesting to her. "Are you also a mage?"

"Yep!" nodded Lucy. "I use celestial magic."

Mirajane's eyes widen in excitement. "Great! Would you like a stamp? Every mage in Magnolia has one."

Being part of something was Lucy's first step to independence. This was her decision. Not anyone else's and certainly not her father's. Lucy enthusiastically nodded her head and followed Mirajane behind the bar. Mirajane took out a stamp and asked Lucy for a color. The latter picked pink and asked it to be stamped onto her right hand.

The blonde thanked Mira and went to find Natsu. The fight died down and all the tables were put back together by the mages. The place was cleaned as if a fight didn't breakout just earlier. The mages here must have had practice cleaning up.

She found the pink haired dragon slayer in front of a board. He had a quizzical look on his face and his hand was on his chin. "Natsu! Natsu! Look! I'm part of Fairy Tail too!"

"That's nice, Luigi."

"It's Lucy!" pouted Lucy. Natsu held a smirk on his face. A paper was ripped off the board and showed it to Lucy. Said girl looked at the piece of paper. It was a request of a book to be taken back and burned. It also had a pay price at the bottom of the paper. "We're taking this job!"

"Natsu, I'm glad your back." The teens looked back to see a short elderly man with his hands behind his back looking up at Natsu.

"Hey Gramps. What's up?" asked Natsu.

"How was the search?"

"He wasn't there, but I found something else." Natsu put his hands on Lucy's shoulder and presented her to the old man. "This is Luigi. She's new."

"My name isn't Luigi! It's Lucy, you stupid dragon!"

"What? I thought your name was Luigi. Have you been lying to me all this time?" joked Natsu.

"No, you idiot! My name is Lucy and you know it." Lucy pouted and looked away from Natsu.

Natsu boomed with laughter and wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulder. With wide eyes and a skipping heartbeat, Lucy's face erupted in cherry red. "Yes, I do know it, Luce. Hey, your face is red again. Do you have a fever?"

"Shut up, you idiot."

"Oh, a new member," said the old man. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. I'm Magnolia's mayor. You can call me Master Makarov. May I ask what your magic is?"

"Celestial Magic, sir," answered Lucy.

"You're a very talented girl," said Master Makarov. He turned his attention to Natsu. "You can do you mission when you get back. Gray is looking for you and it seemed urgent."

"So that ice-freak is finally asking for my help?" laughed Natsu. He was looking forward to this day. That ice-block was finally asking for his help and this means he admitted defeat. Natsu could already see Gray's pleading form in front of Natsu. He would make Gray beg until he was satisfied.

"Not really. He just called for you and wants you there as soon as possible," explained Master. "I suggest you leave immediately. Bring Lucy with you too. Seems like you two are quite a pair." This time both teens' faces were covered in red. They resembled two cherries.

Being called a pair with Natsu made Lucy's brained go override. They weren't a pair. They were just good friends who helped each other. And why would they be a pair. They just met yesterday and things should've be progressing that fast. It may happen in Lucy's old fairy tail books where the prince find his princess and marries her the next day. No, this was reality and she and Natsu were just good friends. Even if she did like Natsu, it was all unrequited love anyway.

On the outside, Natsu looked like he ignored Gramp's words, but inside, the words were repeating over and over again. Of course he and Lucy were a pair. They were a pair of best friends, but something was telling Natsu another thing. It confused Natsu and irked him. His chest pounded as he felt Lucy's soft body beside his, but he never felt this way with other girls. He's hug Mirajane plenty of times, but his chest never pounded like this. Something must be wrong with his heart... and face. Why did his face feel warmer all of the sudden?

Natsu ignored Master's last statement and called for Happy. "We'll be leaving now, Gramps. Reserve that job for me, will ya?"

The master waved Natsu away and ordered a beer from Mirajane. He looked at the retreating form of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy. Natsu's arm was still around Lucy's shoulder with Happy hovering over the pair.

"Looks like Natsu finally found a new friend." Mirajane placed a beer bottle in front of the master.

"You're wrong, Mira," chuckled Master Makarov. "He's found something more."

* * *

**Hey guys! It's Tsuki. I decided to start a little author's note at the end of each chapters. Tell me if it bothers you or not. Also please review and give me some advice. Tell me some things I need to improve on and things that I'm good at. Thank you and sorry for the late update. Please review!**


	5. Enter Gray Fullbuster

_Chapter 4_

**Enter Gray Fullbuster**

The waves crashed on the sandy beach. The sun was already retiring for the night and the stars appeared one by one. Slowly, the sky darkened, but the lights from the town illuminated the sky. The trio walked along a path near the beach towards a house.

Shouts of excitement and promised revenge resounded through the night. A pink haired man laughed boisterously whilst talking to his cat buddy; Lucy followed a pace behind.

They arrived at a little beach house. It was quaint and themed with icy blue. Palm trees decorated the yard and a porch attached to the front of the house. Lucy walked up to the front door and lightly knocked as Natsu and Happy snickered at their hiding spot by the wall.

When the door opened, icy cold wind and a naked man greeted Lucy. Lucy froze, either from the cold house or from the naked man standing right in front of her.

"May I help you?" he asked, completely oblivious to his state of clothing, or no clothing.

Natsu stepped out of his hiding place wondering why Lucy wasn't saying a word. When he found the culprit, he promptly kicked the man inside his house. "You damn exhibitionist! Put some clothes on!"

The man looked down at his body panicked, "Shit!" He ran into a room and came out in proper clothing. More specifically, baggy jeans with an attached chain on his side, a tight black shirt and a white jacket. His eyes focused on Natsu and he scowled, "Close the door, ash brain. You're letting the cold air out."

"What did you call me, stripper?"

"You wanna go, bastard?"

"Bring it on, you damn pervert!" The boys punched each other without hesitation while Lucy stood frozen at the threshold with Happy hovering over her head. Furniture started flying as both boys battle on without a thought or a care in the world.

"Happy?" Lucy asked. "Who is that guy?" She pointed to the half naked boy who kicked Natsu in the torso. Apparently, boxers were appropriate for the freezing temperature inside the house.

"Oh, that's just Gray Fullbuster," answered Happy as he hunted for fish inside the refrigerator.

Lucy gulped and stepped inside the house. With trembling hands, she closed the door and hugged her body. Taking her bag off her shoulder, Lucy rummaged for her newly bought jacket. In her mind, she jumped for joy as the jacket protected her from the cold, but cozy, house.

A crash resounded through the house and Lucy found Natsu rubbing his head in front of a broken table. Gray clicked his tongue and looked at his broken furniture. "Look what you did, you stupid dragon."

"What I did? You're the one who threw me!" Natsu protested. "What did you call me for anyway, snowflake? You finally admit that I'm better than you?"

Realization surfaced in Gray's dark eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose and plopped onto the couch. A small fog blew out of his mouth as he exhaled. "In your dreams, ash brain. It's about a completely different matter." His eyes traveled to Lucy's freezing body that was still standing by the door, hesitant about stepping closer to a stripper. "First, why don't you introduce your freezing girlfriend over there."

When Gray said girlfriend, the first thing that popped into Natsu's head was a blonde haired girl. It focused on brown eyes and a cute smile. He recognized it as Lucy, his friend Lucy. Well, of course Lucy would come up in his head. She is a girl and she is Natsu's friend. The pink haired dragon slayer doesn't really know what Gray meant with girlfriend, but Lucy seemed to fit the description. But why is Natsu's stomach feel like it's fluttering? He blamed it on an empty stomach.

'_G-girlfriend!?_' Lucy thought. Did she hear that guy right? She couldn't be Natsu's girlfriend. They just met and that only happens in fairy tales. No, in fairy tales, after the prince rescues the princess, they would be engaged and get married right away. Natsu was no prince. He was better off as the dragon...er...dragon slayer that kept the princess safe and away from her happy ending. Well, she wasn't really a princess at the moment. It seemed logical in Lucy's head, but why does Lucy's chest hurt when she thinks about Natsu? She blamed it on the freezing air.

"What? Oh, you mean Lucy!" Natsu said. He got up from his spot and drove Lucy closer to Gray. Natsu put his hand on Lucy's shoulder. "This is Lucy Hea-."

A hand stuck itself on Natsu's mouth. Lucy smiled at Gray and said, "It's Lucy. Just Lucy." Nobody needed to know she was the princess of Fiore who ran away. A wet object slid itself across Lucy's palm. Her body turned rigid and she promptly screamed. "Natsu! You licked my mouth. That's disgusting!"

Natsu wiped his mouth as Lucy wiped her hand on Natsu's vest. "It was the only way to get your hand off my mouth."

"You know, there's also called asking. Ew, now I have Natsu germs."

"That would've been too boring. I liked your expression when you screamed though."

An exuberant laugh cut Lucy off before she could strangle the dragon slayer. Gray clutched his torso as he kept laughing. "Man, Natsu. She's pretty damn cute. Where'd you find a girl like that?"

Two strong arms wrapped itself around Lucy's body and she was instantly warm. Lucy snuggled into the warmth until Natsu popped into her head. She was snuggling into Natsu, the walking furnace. Struggling out of his grip didn't work because he only tightened his grip. The runaway princess decided to just suck it up, enjoy the warmth, and hide her burning face.

"This is mine," Natsu declared without hesitation. That didn't help Lucy's burning face. "And go put some damn clothes on, Gray! Fucking stripper."

"Crap." Gray quickly pulled on some pants but kept his shirt off. He turned towards his life long rival and smiled. That bastard of a dragon slayer finally found something to cherish other than his scarf and Happy. "I'll explain outside. We don't really want our new Fairy Tail mage to freeze."

"I told you. She's mine, not yours. Come on, Happy. We're going outside."

"Aye!"

They followed Gray outside, who miraculously was wearing his boxers again. Lucy shrugged off her jacket and tossed it towards her bag. She finally got Natsu to let go of her.

"So, what did you ask Natsu for, Gray?" Lucy asked.

The ice mage sighed and looked towards the ocean. "Natsu, you know how my parents were nobles, right?" Natsu nodded. "Well, I just recently found out that they signed an arranged marriage for me."

"And?" Natsu egged on.

"I don't want to get married," Gray growled. "A messenger from the other family came three days ago with a letter about an arranged marriage. Apparently, my parents promised me to marry this noble girl named Sherry. I tried to refuse, but they said that it's final. I haven't even met the girl. For all I know, this Sherry is damn ugly."

"And why are you asking my help?"

"The only way out of this marriage is if I have a current girlfriend or fiancé. I have to find one before the end of this week or else my marriage with Sherry is final."

"I still don't know why you're asking me."

"How much of an idiot are you? I need to find a girlfriend and I need your help." Gray's eyes traveled to Lucy. "Or maybe Lucy can help me?"

A blush appeared on Lucy's cheeks, but it wasn't because of Gray's statement. It was because of Natsu's arm wrapped around her waist and the growl that emanated from his throat. "Gray."

His half-naked friend laughed and blew Natsu's threat away. "Wow, flame brain. I didn't know you could be this territorial."

Lucy quickly pulled herself away from Natsu's embrace and leaned against the house. She kept her face impassive, but the blush covering her cheeks didn't help. "So, you want Natsu to find you a girl to pose as your girlfriend for the week?" Lucy asked, trying to forget the previous scene.

"Basically, yes," Gray nodded.

"Why don't you just tell them that you have a girlfriend?" Natsu asked.

Lucy sighed. "Are you an idiot? They would ask to meet her of course. Not many people will just take your word for it. A physical proof is needed." Lucy turned her attention to Gray. "Why can't you ask one of the girls from Fairy Tail to help?"

"I don't really want to drag more people into this mess. If somebody from the guild posses as my girlfriend or fiancé, the noble family would investigate them and see if we really are in a relationship," explained Gray. "Tomorrow night, Fairy Tail is hosting party on a ship. I'm going to try my luck and ask a girl to pose as my girlfriend."

"And what do you want us to do?" Lucy asked.

"Help me track down a suitable candidate."

"Ice brain, you do know that I get motion sickness, right?"

"That's already covered with. Wendy and Mira conjured up a little potion to stop your motion sickness for the night. So, will you guys help me or not?"

Even during her time locked away in a tower, Lucy has experienced many arranged marriages and courtships from people she didn't know. The feeling of being thrust into something you don't understand or something you don't want is hard. Even if Gray was a stripper, he was a fellow Fairy Tail wizard and arrange marriages is something nobody wants.

"Of course, we'll help you, Ice brain," declared Natsu. "We'll find you the best girlfriend and get that Sherry out of your life." Lucy only smiled and agreed with Natsu.

"Thanks guys. You don't know how much this means to me." Gray looked towards the deep blue horizon. The moon was already at the highest peak. Gray noticed Lucy hiding her yawn behind her hand. It would be impolite to keep people awake after a long travel. "It's getting late. I'll see you guys tomorrow night at the party."

Lucy agreed and bid Gray farewell. With a nod to his life long rival, Natsu led the little group towards his home. "You can stay with me for the night until you can find a place to stay, Lucy," said Natsu. He led them through the forest and into a road that directed them to a cozy little home. To Natsu and Happy, it was cozy, but to Lucy, the place looked like a dump.

A tree was growing out of the house, random things were strewn everywhere, and the inside was just as worst as the front. Piles of laundry scattered through the house, pots and pans of old food sat in the sink or just anywhere, and random objects decorated the place.

"Welcome home!" shouted Natsu and Happy. Happy flew toward a pile of blankets and snuggling comfortably into them. Natsu ran to a hammock placed near the wall and plopped himself down. The hammock swayed from side to side.

Afraid to even step into the dump, Lucy just stayed at the threshold. "You call this home?" she muttered under her breath. The stench of old food and dirty laundry wafted through the area.

"Well, of course it's home, Luce," chuckled Natsu, completely oblivious to the disgust in Lucy's voice. "I have everything I need here. Come on. I'll make room for you so that we can sleep peacefully." Pushing away a pile of clothing to one corner, Natsu made a little room for Lucy beside his hammock. "Tomorrow, I promise to help you find an apartment."

"You promise?" Lucy asked as she kicked more trash out of the way.

"Dragon Slayer's honor!" promised Natsu as he held up his right hand and chuckled. Deciding that one night wouldn't hurt her, Lucy accepted Natsu's blankets, pillow, and extra futon. When she finished getting her bed ready, she found the boys snoring peacefully.

Unfortunately, Happy and Natsu forgot to cover their bodies with blankets. Not wanting either of them to catch a cold, Lucy took the liberty of covering them with warm, clean blankets. Clean blankets were hard to find in Natsu's house. Happy snuggled into his blanket after Lucy tucked him in. A bigger blanket was needed for Natsu. Lucy threw the blanket over Natsu's body and also tucked him in. When Lucy looked at Natsu's snoring face, he had such an innocent smile on his face. Was everybody's face this relaxed whenever he or she sleeps?

"Lucy," Natsu muttered.

A surprised look and a blush painted Lucy's face. Was Natsu dreaming about her? If he is, what is his dream of her about? Could it be that he was dreaming about her because he has feelings for her? It's just like the books she reads! If a man dreams about you, that means that he can't get his mind off of you even in his dreams. But that's absurd! They just met and Natsu would never have feelings for her like that, but could he?

"More food! Fire chicken!" Natsu said before he turned to his side and faced away from Lucy.

Even in his sleep, he wants food. Maybe his feelings for Lucy were just her desperate fantasies again. Things like fantasies and fairy tales don't happen that easily. It's only in stories made for children who are over-imaginative. Natsu could not have feelings for her and she doesn't either. But what's this strain in her chest whenever she tells herself that Natsu doesn't have feelings for her?

"Maybe I'm just tired from the trip," Lucy tells herself. She sighed and tucked herself into her temporary bed. Her first night away from the tower. What is happening there without her? Is her father trying desperately to find her or is he ignoring her disappearance? Either way, she was away from the tower and her old life. Tomorrow her new life as a mage begins and she has friends by her side. But Lucy couldn't help but think about the friends and people she left behind. Would she ever see her nannies ever again? Would she see her father again? Would she turn back to being a princess if she sees danger?

Lucy knew the answer to the last one. She could not turn back to her old life. Being locked away in a tower for more than ten years turned her into a determined and intelligent girl.

Lucy promised herself that she would never go back to that tower again. Dead or alive.

* * *

**Hey guys. Sorry I've been kinda dead for the past month. It's been really busy for me right now. I'm also sorry that this chapter is a bit short, but I promise that I'll make the next one a bit longer and better. Please leave a review for me! Thank you!**


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